Junior Lawyer Position Available

We are accepting applications for a Junior Litigation Lawyer for a short-term contract.

Duties will consist mostly of litigation work; other work may involve commercial transactions, research, and other general tasks as needed. The lawyer's primary assignment will be to research, prepare for, and attend civil pre-trial conferences. If the matters are not settled, the lawyer will be expected to independently prepare for and conduct the full trial.

New calls considered, but must have some litigation experience from articling (any kind of court experience is acceptable, not necessarily civil). Must be computer-literate and will be required to use WordPerfect (not MS Word) for almost all document generation. Must have use of a car to attend court and other events outside the office.

To apply, email your resume at our website: http://www.sslaw.ca/careers.html

Retainer Agreement and Fee Updates

We have updated our standard Retainer Agreement and posted additional information about our fees and disbursements.

The most current versions of the Retainer Agreement, Signature Page, and Fees and Disbursements guide are now posted publicly for download:

• Retainer Agreement

Ontario Civil Procedure Rule Changes

Last year, a number of changes came into force in the Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure. In an attempt to limit the expenses of litigation, discovery has been narrowed in scope and time and a discovery plan is now required. The rules for pre-trial conferences have been updated. Coinciding with the increase in the Small Claims Court monetary limit, the Simplified Procedure monetary limit has also been increased, to $100,000.00. Other changes involve clarification of experts' duties, service and filing timelines have been extended, case management and mediation rules updated, the summary judgment test changed, and the automatic dismissal procedures updated.

Additional information about the changes and links to background documents are available from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General:

• Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario) - Changes to the Rules of Civil Procedure

Ontario Small Claims Court Limit Now $25,000.00

Last year, the monetary limit for bringing a case in Small Claims Court in Ontario increased to $25,000.00 from $10,000.00, along with several rule changes. The increased limit allows more cases to be brought through the simpler Small Claims Court procedures, rather than having to start a lawsuit through the complex Rules of Civil Procedure in Superior Court. This should allow for faster and easier access to the courts for small business and a less intimidating forum for self-represented individuals. The higher monetary jurisdiction can also make it more feasible and cost-effective to hire a lawyer for moderate-sized cases of between $10,000.00 and $25,000.00.

Additional information about Small Claims Court and the changes is available from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General:

• Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario) - Small Claims Court

HST in Effect in Ontario

The Harmonized Sales Tax came into effect in Ontario in July 2010. In most (but not all) cases, the HST combines the federal GST of 5% and the Ontario PST of 8% into a single tax of 13%, for which businesses can obtain input tax credits. Legal fees and most disbursements are now subject to the new HST rate. Further information is available from the Ontario Ministry of Revenue and Canada Revenue Agency:

• Ministry of Revenue (Ontario) - What is the HST?
• Canada Revenue Agency - GST/HST

New Law Firm Blog

Welcome to the new law firm blog for Szemplinski Law Offices! We started this blog to inform visitors of additional information related to our main practice areas of debt collection, civil litigation, business law, and estate planning. Postings on this blog will include legal updates, short articles, and product reviews.